Max Roach we Insist!

We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite, co-authored by Max Roach and Oscar Brown, Jr., was a pivotal work in the early-'60s African-American protest movement, and continues to be relevant in its message and tenacity. It represents a lesson in living as to how the hundreds of years prior were an unnecessary example of how oppression kept slaves and immigrants in general in their place. Vocalist Abbey Lincoln expresses this oppression as effectively as anyone could with her thespian-based wordless vocals, and lyrics written by Brown that tell the grim story of the struggle of African-American for far too long. Musically, Roach assembled one of the greatest bands, from his own emerging ensemble with trombonist Julian Priester and trumpeter Booker Little, to the legendary Coleman Hawkins and lesser-known, underappreciated tenor saxophonist Walter Benton.

Two years after they met, six musicians coming from radically different universes released an EP under the name of We Insist!, an obvious reference to Freedom now suite, Max Roach’s manifest. Three LPs, hundreds of concerts and ten years later, We Insist! have created a style of their own. It is a testimony of their resilience and their independence. Live performances are their battlefield, where songs are created and perfected in front of the audience. Their influences are numerous: Shellac, Queens of the Stone Age, Primus, At-The-Drive-In, John Zorn or Tool. David Lynch comes to mind as well, mostly because all such references and influences are subtly intertwined and mixed with one another…

Two years after they met, six musicians coming from radically different universes released an EP under the name of We Insist!, an obvious reference to Freedom now suite, Max Roach’s manifest. Three LPs, hundreds of concerts and ten years later, We Insist! have created a style of their own. It is a testimony of their resilience and their independence. Live performances are their battlefield, where songs are created and perfected in front of the audience. Their influences are numerous: Shellac, Queens of the Stone Age, Primus, At-The-Drive-In, John Zorn or Tool. David Lynch comes to mind as well, mostly because all such references and influences are subtly intertwined and mixed with one another…

Abbey Lincoln - Through The Years (2009) {3CD Box Set Verve 532 096-1 rec 1957-2007}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.31 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 545 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 145 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1957-2007, 2009 Verve / UM | 532 096-1
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Standards / Post Bop

Anyone who has followed Abbey Lincoln’s career with any regularity understands that she has followed a fiercely individual path and has paid the cost for those choices. Through the Years is a cross-licensed, three-disc retrospective expertly compiled and assembled by the artist and her longtime producer, Jean-Philippe Allard. Covering more than 50 years in her storied career, it establishes from the outset that Lincoln was always a true jazz singer and unique stylist. Though it contains no unreleased material, it does offer the first true picture of he range of expression. Her accompanists include former husband Max Roach, Benny Carter, Kenny Dorham, Charlie Haden, Sonny Rollins, Wynton Kelly, Benny Golson, J.J. Johnson, Art Farmer, Stan Getz, and Hank Jones, to name scant few.

Anyone who has followed Abbey Lincoln’s career with any regularity understands that she has followed a fiercely individual path and has paid the cost for those choices. Through the Years is a cross-licensed, three-disc retrospective expertly compiled and assembled by the artist and her longtime producer, Jean-Philippe Allard. Covering more than 50 years in her storied career, it establishes from the outset that Lincoln was always a true jazz singer and unique stylist. Though it contains no unreleased material, it does offer the first true picture of he range of expression. Her accompanists include former husband Max Roach, Benny Carter, Kenny Dorham, Charlie Haden, Sonny Rollins, Wynton Kelly, Benny Golson, J.J. Johnson, Art Farmer, Stan Getz, and Hank Jones, to name scant few…